van pelt



@with strat @frn JOHN lVAN PELT, OF PERRY, ILLINOIS. Letters .PatentNm 70,2.96, elated October 29, 1867.

IMPBOVED HULLS FOR VESSELS.

ro ALL WHoM 1r MAY ooNoEnN:

Beit known that I, JOHN VAN PELT, of Perry, in the county of Pike, and Sta-telef Illinois, have invented a `new and usefull Improvement in the Construction of the Hulls of. Vessels;v and I do hereby declare that the following is a. full and clear description thereof, reference being had -to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon. K

This invention relates, firstly, toa series of triangular ribs running fore and aft underA the bottom of the vessel, for the double purpose of strengthening the hull and improving the sailing qualities of theve'ssel, and,

sccondly,.to an arrangement ot' transverse Vtrussing-b'ra'ces, whereby the bottom of the vessel or Hoor-beams is i greatly strengthened and improved., The application of these improvements is -most especiallyedapted, but not exclusively conned,'to the flat-bottomed boats of the western rivers.

To enable those skilled in the art'to make and use ,my improved hulls, I will proceed to describe their construction and operation. y 'i i Figure 1 of the drawings is a transverse section of one of the improved hulls.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan of the same. l

The bottom timbering of the vessel-is composed of a straight floor-beam, A, and `trussiug-braees a a, the whole being fitted andbolted together, as shown clearly in fig. 1, and the result of the combination is a trussed floor-beam of great strength, especially adapted to lighvt-draught, fiat-bottomed vessels. The planling a is spiked to theinolined faces of the braces a a, and in this position it can easily be eaulkedwithout dockingthe vessel, as the inclined position of the bottom will allow the bilge-water to settle into the troughs of the flooring, and' thus leave the leakage point free and accessible to the caulker. This construction of the bottom forms trian-` V gular ribs A, which extend the entire length of the vessel, fore and aft, and the vessel is. strengthened longitudinally thereby, as the sloping sides aiford more 'resistance to depressions or transverse strains than would a straight bottom, and longitudinal triangular troudhs are-also formed in the bottom between vthe said ribs, and

these troughs are advantageous to the sailing 'qualities of the vessel, as they prevent lee-way, and 'assist the vessel to obey her helm. i A

Having described my invention, what I claim is The transverse trussing-braces or oor-timbers rta, in combination with the straight floor-beam A. substantially a's described and set forth. 4 i

' JOHN VAN PELT.

Witnesses:

M. RANDOLPH, GHAs. H. BoYLs. 

